


8 Days Later

by yyyugen



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate character mindset, Eventual Comfort, Gladnis if you squint, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Noctis Alone, Nyctophobia, Pitioss, Promptis if you squint, Psychological Trauma, Ruins, SPOILER WARNING FOR SECRET AREA, Seperation Anxiety, Survival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-09-25 14:10:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9823988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yyyugen/pseuds/yyyugen
Summary: They first hear about it in Lestalum. A secret trove hidden on the slopes of Ravatogh. The loot of a thousand lifetimes. They uncover more whispers in nearby towns, whispers that worryingly know fear. After days of searching high and low, they find it.But is Noctis prepared for what waits below?ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.Life shit happened. It's gonna be awhile for me to get back into the swing of this one.





	1. Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> *SPOILER ALERT. LAST CHANCE.* This story takes place in a secret location in the game so if you either don't care or have already found it, I salute you. Please do a proceed. 
> 
> Okay look, I just keep looking at these poor boys and thinking, "what they hell is going through their brains in this situation?" Specifically during the Pitioss ruins and how the group responds to being separated from Noctis for its duration. More importantly, how Noctis reacts to the dungeon itself. I found his responses in game to the challenges before him to be rather lackluster. I guess that's what you get when you're raised in a magic-industrial society. Or maybe he really just doesn't give a shit (he's a cake baby). Regardless this story will explore an alternate view on the psychological effects of Pitioss and how the crew reacts. Get ready for laughter, tears, horrific nightmares, and a little bit of good ol' angst. Just remember, comfort is just around the corner. *sarcasm flag*
> 
> Also, Ignis has a maternal 6th sense: The Sense of Impending Idiocy, aka, the "Stupeo Sense."  
> He's still working on fine-adjustments.

_________________________________________________________________________

"And here we are"

A half day's worth of tedious travel amidst the broken landscape had finally rewarded them with a clear path to the ruins. Above them they could make out a small-yet-far-too-regular-to-be-natural block of stone standing half camouflaged against the surrounding boulders. Dusk had long since settled on the horizon, but Gladious still glanced behind them nervously after their near escape from the pair of prowling Malbodoms. Prompto gave a low whistle when he spotted the building ahead, Noctis following the gunner's gaze, his expression curiously unreadable. Ignis pushed up his glasses, already itemizing what they would need to proceed with an extended expedition.

"This is it?" Gladio huffed, "Doesn't look like much from the outside."

The living shield had been dubious of the rumors they had heard back in Lestalum from the very beginning. If they were to be believed, the locals had spoken of a vast treasure which awaited within the little lump of rock. It hadn't been too difficult to find the small road cut off from the nearby rest area, most likely due to a long since forgotten lava flow. Then again, they had the luxury of the Regalia Type-F at their disposal. This was probably no more than an ancient outpost with a few burned bones and rust-brittle swords. Or perhaps a naturally symmetrical formation of rock not unheard of in these volcanic regions. Ignis could hardly blame him for his lack of belief. He hardly did himself.

And yet……there was something about the place itself. How it had taken them an entire week's side trip just to gain the ability of flight in order to find a way around the volcano. How the monsters in the area appeared to be vastly different breeds from the regular fauna on the rock they had fought previously. How there appeared to be the silhouette of metal bars just along the left perimeter wall. Perhaps there was something to those rumors after all.

"Woohoo! Last one to the door has to cook breakfast tomorrow!" crowed Prompto as he took off up the slope and around the bend. Ignis sighed heavily.

"What say you, your highness? Shall we brave the fortress?"

His words fell a bit short of the dark haired prince's ears however, as he was already long gone sprinting ahead gamely after the gunner. Ignis sighed again. He'd be spilling over into tomorrow's quota of maternal sighs at this point. Well, there was little for it. He looked over at Gladio who was smiling quietly to himself.

"One of those days that feather-brained buffoon is going to get Noct into serious trouble."

"Come on Specs, a little race on perfectly flat ground 'aint gonna kill anyone."

"You may well say that now, but…."

A bright yet worried voice calling out ahead cut him off abruptly. "Hey slow-rudas! We got a problem over here!"

Ignis shot Gladio a brief 'I told you so' look as the two of them hastened their pace at the call.

As they approached, there appeared to be a set of stairs leading up to the side of the ruins looming up before them. So much for the natural formation theory, Ignis thought glumly as he took stock of the two unharmed men and, thankfully, a distinct lack of deamons lurking in the vicinity. Gladio let out a small sigh and relaxed into a walk, Ignis settling for only a slightly slower gait still wondering what they had found that was such a "problem."

 

The "problem" turned out to be a 20 foot gap between them and progress into the building.

 

"You call that a problem?" Gladio noted sarcastically, scrutinizing the lanky runner, arms folded for emphasis.

"Of course! Just look at it!" Prompto waved wildly with his arms in an effort to emphasize his point. Noctis chuckled and shoved lightly at the blond's back, ducking the retaliatory swipe.

"It's no Taelpar Crag that's for sure."

"I know I know, c'mon guys, what are we gonna do about it?"

"Prompto's right."

Three sets of eyes goggled at their level headed advisor in disbelief. Prompto stuck a finger in his ear, twisting it vigorously as if to dislodge a particularly stubborn ball of earwax.

"I must be hearing things. Did, did Iggy just say I was right about something?"

Gladio gave an amused grunt. "Sure seems like the sky is falling huh?"

"Okay now that's taking it too far big guy. Gimme a break!"

Noctis was too busy taking it all in, electing to remain silent even though his eyes were fairly doubling over with laughter.

Ignis cleared his throat pointedly. "If you are quite finished I shall elaborate. Prompto has deduced the distance of the gap to be too far for any of us to jump normally. Besides, we had nothing on hand with which to build a bridge."

"I could just toss you all over there." Gladio chuckled.

"My manly dignity will not allow it!" Prompto announced with a sly grin, adjusting his phantom glasses. The bespectacled one in question gave him a stern look, eyes lacking even the smallest glimmer of amusement, the blond looked away, whistling innocently.

Noctis stepped between them. "I don't want us to get split up." an unspoken 'again' lingering in their minds.

"But….."

Gladio cocked an eyebrow at him.

"But what, your princeliness?"

"I could warp across."

Ignis folded his arms and gave Noctis a hard look.  
"And leave you to face gods know what lies within this pile of rubble? Nonsense."

"C'mon Iggy, this has gotta be the place those guys talked about. The one with the 'big haul.' We can't just give up on it like they did and go home with our tails between our legs. Where's your spirit of adventure?"

"I'd have one if our dutiful prince here would only listen to common sense every once in a while." the advisor sassed.

"Kid's got a point though."

"I beg your pardon?"

Massive shoulders shrugged in his general direction. "Maybe we oughta let him give it a shot."

Prompto chipped in, draping an arm over Ignis's shoulders. "Yeah! Who knows what treasure Noct could discover in there. Just think about it, golden espresso machines as far as the eye can see. We gotta let him take a peak!"

Ignis let out a long sigh and crumpled his face into his left hand by force of habit in the face of pure stupidity, one finger tapping lightly on his temple as the group bantered on around him about safety measures for such a foolhardy undertaking.

"Oo oo, what about that place just down the hill?" Prompto exclaimed.

Gladio nodded. "The camp's only a short walk away, we won't be far in case he gets into trouble."

We could even take shifts standing guard on these steps!"

"We always have phones. Signal's not so bad out here." Noctis offered.

"Oh yeah! We could do text check ins! Plus if there are deamons, Noct my man here is pretty much a walking royal milita. He could even be his own Kingsglaive!" 

"Enough!" Ignis withdrew his hand, exasperated by the other's willingness to put such trust in the unknown. He could think of at least a hundred reasons why letting Noctis venture into a ruin on his own would prove disastrous, but it seemed his vote would only get swamped by the enthusiasm everyone had for the mere thought of shiny trinkets. Perhaps when all this was over he would give Noctis a little history lesson on piracy. Ignis turned to face his prince, who was now looking quite excited at the thought of getting to roam off on his own. A little too excited, if Ignis had anything to say about it, but now was clearly not the time.

"I will allow it." He held up a finger swiftly to still any interrupting whoops of joy from a certain livewire, the result of which sounded a bit like a deflating baby chocobo. "on the grounds that you will check in every 2 hours by text to either Gladio or I. You will also take my platinum shield and wear your formal attire for protection. Lastly, I beg of you to at least check around corners before you dash ahead blindly in there. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal." Noctis replied with a playful smirk, already whipping out the heavy jacket and boots. "You won't regret it Iggy. I'll be fine, don't worry so much."

"It is not for your sake alone that I worry, your highness." He laid a hand on the prince's shoulder and held him there. Gladio clapped another hand on the other and grinned broadly.

"Etro help you if you come back empty handed, kid."

"Just come back to us in one piece." the gentle green eyes behind the advisor's glasses tightened with concern.

"Yeah, yeah." Noct sighed impatiently, though he still gave his minder a reassuring smile.

He turned to go, hefting a sword from the ether in preparation to warp. But before he could, a sharp smack to his ass made him jump too soon, banishing the weapon into crystal dust as he flopped gracelessly onto the ground below. 

"Auhh, what was that for?" he growled, looking up at the obvious culprit.

"Luck! What else?" the blond grinned cheekily before snapping a pic of the sprawled prince.

Noctis laughed softly as he got up, brushing the 'luck' dust from his pants. "Heh, thanks." He rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly when he climbed back up the steps. They were all just standing there, looking at him fondly. The thought that he would miss having all of them around, even if it was only for a little while, flashed across his mind. He had gotten so used to having them around it felt a bit like loosing a limb. It was a strange realization to be having, as he had been alone for most of his young life. He was used to it, he could do this. After all, they would all be here to hear all about the mysteries of Pitioss when he got back. 

"Welp, here I go. See ya in a day or so I guess."

__________________________________________________________________

Before Ignis could change his mind, Noct threw his sword casually over the gap and landed neatly on the other side. He wave them one last wave before he walked around the corner, his friends disappearing from sight. Gladio had been giving him a thumbs up proudly, Ignis just standing there with his arms folded clearly still guarded about his decision, but there was no mistaking the pride behind his eyes. Prompto…..well Prompto was waving his arms above his head with enough force for Noct to be a little concerned his friend was going to fall over from the force of it. But Noct saw the way the photographer's bottom lip was ever so slightly turned down, his brows knitted together like he was trying with all of his might not to cry.

Titan knew Noctis was trying to do the same.

His resolve to make them proud began to harden as he stepped around the corner, as he slipped through the man-sized hold in the bars ahead, as he stood before the circular glyph glowing on the wall in the dark, feeling it finally settle as a warmth in his chest as he reached out his hand slowly.

The minute he made contact the stone began to move. But instead of the wall sliding away to reveal the passage beyond as he had expected, the floor beneath him simply began to lower smoothly and steadily.

A sudden sinking feeling lodged itself in Noctis's gut like a bullet as he descended, catching him off guard. He dropped into a crouch instinctively, but the second he did so, the feeling vanished. He stood and shook himself slightly and gave it no further thought.

How could he when the sight that awaited him at the bottom of the dusty elevator shaft was a pair of large moving blocks one half covered in deadly looking spikes. Their tips glowing a demonic red in the dark gathering around the weak light from his pocket lamp. 

"What the fuck."


	2. First Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis continues deeper into the ancient ruins that send a chill through him without knowing why. Maybe he should have worn a thicker jacket.
> 
> He isn't the only one having a bad day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks! First of all thank you so much for those of you who have left comments, it really means a lot to me seeing how this is my first story (or at least, the first I've ever put up on here). I've recently been caught up in the rather last minute and highly stressful process of moving apartments and jobs, so please, bear with me for the next update or two. I am still on board with this story. I've got plans. So many plans. This chapter is a bit short in light of those plans as I'm changing my initial idea for the timeline of Noctis's exploration. There will be some time-skips through parts of the dungeon I found unremarkable, but don't worry, there will be some remarkable events in store. 
> 
> This crazy train has no tracks ya'll, just in case you were looking for them. ;)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty."

Prompto groaned, batting weakly at the hand patting at his cheek, trying in vain to snuggle farther into his corner of the tent. The hand ceased its heinous attempts to wake him his morning reveries and he sighed back into his pillow.

Unfortunately for Prompto, such small victories are often short lived.

"WHOA!" the blond shot up with the force of a bottle rocket, rubbing at a surely reddening backside as he glared at Gladio crouching next to the open tent flap. The bodyguard replied by doing his best impression of a stone wall.

"If you're not out here in two minutes I'll train you so hard you won't be able to feel your ass for days." Prompto unfolded himself to protest but his assailant had already slipped out of the tent flap without another word.

For a man his size Gladio had no business moving that quietly thought the gunner sulkily as he pulled on his jacket against the chill from the half open tent flap. Prompto's thoughts turned unbidden to Noctis, suddenly glad Iggy had practically forced the sullen prince into wearing his heavier attire. Who knows how cold it was down in the depths of that ruin? Prompto shivered at the mere thought of going underground in a place such as this, it had been bad enough on the slopes of Ravatogh. Why was it so cold when they were so close to a freaking volcano anyway? He was just about to launch into reverie of their climb when the beautiful smell of buttered toast and grease pulled him from his thoughts faster than a poppeck lure.

"Ah, I see you have finally decided to join the land of the living." Ignis chortled as he expertly flipped two perfectly fried eggs onto their respective plates.

Gladio gave him a smile full of teeth from the camp chair he was lounging on, his breakfast already half finished in front of him. "Thought only a certain somebody we know was the only late bloomer. Sure you haven't caught anything on the way here?"

The gunner looked down and took his breakfast from the chef with a muttered thanks and plopped into the opposite chair. His dreams from the night before suddenly loomed up in his mind like a catoblepas.

"I just couldn't sleep very much last night, okay? Lay off, will ya." he said in a small voice before devoting himself wholly to his breakfast.

They had all been restless that night, Prompto heard the older pair whispering in the dark as they woke in watches to check Noctis's texts. They came in more or less regularly, true to his word, if only brief contact such as, "made it," " no deamons yet," or "still kickin'." The most worrying one yet that almost had Ignis sending for the rescue squad (meaning them) had read, "pretty big explosion In here, but I got the door open. heading in." Thankfully Gladio had just barely managed to talk him out of it, though they had almost gotten into a fistfight.

"We agreed to give him at least a day to check it out before loosing our shit." Gladio reminded the group, despite the fact that Prompto was pretty sure he was just as worried as the rest of them. He was just better at hiding it.

"Do I look like a chipped bluegill to you? I have not forgotten." grumbled the chef, sipping his coffee with the air of a slighted mother bear.

"Well then you can do us all a favor and take your panties down a notch."

"My panties are just fine where they are, thank you."

Prompto snorted through his eggs benedict, succeeding in almost getting half of it lodged up his nose. He didn't know which had been funnier, the fact that Ignis had said the word 'panties' or the covert wink Gladio had flashed the bespecled man. When he looked up after the little gagging fit that had followed, he grabbed his coffee and chugged it down to avoid looking at the crownsguards glaring at each other across the campfire. Hooooo boooyy was this awkward. The coffee he had so anxiously quaffed gurgled in his stomache noisily. 

"Think I'll just uh…go take a leak." he set down his empty mug and tray, standing hastily to head down the path just out of sight from the camp behind a few tall rocks.

Ignis called after him, "Don't wander off too far! The Marlbodooms have been looking rather testy."

"Will do!" he chirped, turning around while walking to flash Iggy an A-ok pose and nearly bruising his already tender ass in the process. Marlbodooms weren't the only thing that were testy this morning, grumpily unzipping his fly behind a rock and beginning to relieve himself on a nearby bush.

At least, he would have liked to, had the bush not immediately squawked in protest, turning it's head to squint up at him with one disgruntled little eye.

The last thing the little bird had expected besides being peed on was the blond man to burst out laughing, as it stood and shook itself, puffing up angrily. Prompto just couldn't help it. Here he was rocking out with his cock out. Or was it cocking out with his rocks out? Prompto could never keep euphemisms properly tamped down in his brain. They just sort of floated around with all of the rest of his thoughts breaking through filters and mingling in unholy ways most of the time.

He had little time to puzzle it over however, as the sullied beast evidentially decided its reputation was at stake and launched itself at the gunner in a flurry of green feathers. Prompto yelped as they went down in a heap, claws scratching at his torso. He covered his ears when it crowed shrilly right next to his face. 

This was not his idea of a cock fight. With a grunt he threw the bird off and zipped himself up hastily as he scrabbled to stand. By the time the crystal dust had blown off his guns there were five of the feathery things surrounding him. All of them were clucking dangerously. Now was probably not the time to try and break out his chocobo whispering prowess. The blond bit his lip and took a tiny step back.

"Uh, guys? A little help over here?"

____________________________________________________________________________

It was at this moment, Noctis knew, he fucked up.

As he stepped past the opening the boulder had knocked open not moments before be spotted two stone faces glowing an ominous red on either side. However, they couldn't compare to the foreboding darkness that stretched down into an unfathomable abyss below the stone on which he stood. A wave of nausea gripped him as he walked forward, breathing slow as he tried to calm his roiling stomach. He could do this. He was a king.

He had never been afraid of heights as a child, often taunting Ignis from many a tree he had clambered up on the palace grounds. His warp training had certainly left no height untested. So why did this bottomless pit unnerve him so? He shook his head and tried to think happy, chocobo-colored thoughts as he stepped up to the edge of the platform.

One giant gap and two unstable looking pillars stood between him and progressing into the yellow sphere ahead.

Of course there were.

He had tested warping the minute he had entered the dungeon, finding them mysteriously unusable. That was the first thing he had noticed. Well, besides the giant spikes clearly designed to try and murder him.

A giant door decorated with a sun motif, rays of golden sunlight running up it's length had been the second thing. Just above the door was the giant hand of a statue, the figure appearing to be non-other than Titan, his left arm connected to the hand giving the impression of keeping the door closed (or, Noctis had thought with a sick feeling, to keep something in). After some glyph trials and ridiculous jumps he had managed to activate a mechanism that had worryingly decapitated the statue but also had allowed him to climb onto it's arm and activate the glyph that opened the sun door.

Then there had been the cage. That had freaked him out on a number of levels. The freakiest thing however, was that inside the cage there crouched the metal statue of a deamon. It didn't look like any regular deamon he had come across in his travel with his friends, but it appeared to be a more whimsical representation, what with the long, curved horns adorning its head. Opposite the horned deamon sat an elaborately designed treasure chest. He had theorized it as being bait to lure unsuspecting treasure hunters into the cage for the deamon to devour, or even to lure the deamon itself into the trap.

Unfortunately, both of his theories had gone out the window when he snuck up to take a closer look. It was made entirely out of metal, and had even been a literal stepping stone in his solution to the door opening puzzle. And again he noticed when he looked up that there was an identical statue in the yellow sphere room as well, perched upon an impossibly thin stone walkway. The structure of this place seemed impossibly built. Giant moving stone blocks, boulders propelled by glyphs, and now and endless dark over which he had to leap frog across questionable platforms.

He began walking forward towards the first gap, but as he did his foot caught on a stone edge slightly raised from the surface and nearly pitched headfirst into the nothingness. Only by flailing every available limb backwards was he able to bring himself out of the fall until he was sprawled back on solid stone. His chest rose and fell as he collected himself in his sudden panic. The deamon continued crouching motionlessly above as if to mock his poor balance. 

He mentally kicked himself for being such a lily-livered gigantoad. Yet, the foreboding darkness that seemed as if to swallow the edges of all light was hardly a comforting atmosphere to be making miscalculations. Nor was the black ooze dripping from the ceiling like oil. He would have to take so many baths when he was through with this place, he mused as he beat the dust from his pants with a grimace. So many.

Prompto was probably busy regaling the others of another one of his embarrassing college episodes. Starring Noctis, of course. He would have to give the blond so much shit when he got back. He let out a little snort.

"Well, let's give this a go." he mumbled to no one in particular.

After a running start he made it pretty seamlessly until he landed on the interior platform of the sphere. In front of him there appeared to be an upright cylinder covered in more of the glowing spikes. Even better, it was fixed atop a long piece of cage bars that looked half ripped off. Great. Just great. Nothing to do but keep on. He jumped to the left of it and continued around the side until he spotted another glyph glowing invitingly on the wall outside the sphere platform.  
Noctis thought nothing of it as he walked up to it and held out a hand to trigger it, his mind on the first thing he was going to ask Ignis to whip up when he was done with the god-awful place.

When he turned back around the platform he had come around on was now moving, rotating down and away from him.

And he had thought this day couldn't get any worse.

By the time he was done rolling his eyes the aperture had already passed, so he waited for the next one before making the jump. He planned it carefully, and with the gap so small, he didn't even take a running start.

He didn't plan on the sphere to subtly slow as it approached his level, his foot catching only the lip of the square opening as he fell back, arms grasping almost in slow motion as the sphere started to rise above him far faster than his brain belatedly thought possible. He threw an arm forward, concentrating with all his might, willing the crystal to form a weapon in his hand.

He failed.


End file.
